A Miraculous Collection
by Lady Lu-san
Summary: Just a collection of oneshots and drabbles I write for the LadyBlog faction on the MLB amino! You'll see all types of random characters, will update whenever I write a new one! Rated T because I never remember what I put in there for language XD
1. Christmas

He was silent. It was easy to miss the quiet artist in the back of the room, the only sound he made was the soft scratching of pencil on paper as he sketched. The lead formed shapes on the soft white surface, and eventually, its message became clear. Chat Noir and the Evillustrator's battle, brought to life by his own hands. It was obvious who was winning, and for those who couldn't see it, here's the explanation. Ebony claws grasped the front of the artist's suit, the other hand held high in an upcoming Cataclysm. The pencil froze in its motion, and the boys grip tightened on the writing instrument. Especially after the unfortunate incident with the resident blonde bully in the class which had ended up turning him into the Evillustrator, he stayed separate from everyone else. So it was understandable, then, that during the Christmas hustle and bustle, he was forgotten.

Everyone was excited. It was almost Christmas, and there was hardly any work being done in the classroom. The teacher had decided to just give up on the lesson plan and allow the kids to do what they wanted. So, it was the rapid fire exchange of gifts. Nino and Alya were offering each other their first holiday presents as a couple, a pair of cute earrings and what ended up being an orange hat to switch with Nino's usual red. His girlfriend claimed it suited him better, to his reluctant agreement. Chloe was ecstatic to receive new perfume from the Agreste line, flaunting it while Sabrina gushed over her own gift of used clothing that her 'best friend' no longer found in fashion. Max had gotten a surprisingly thoughtful gift of a book from Kim, who shrugged and said he picked it out at random. Juleka couldn't stop thanking Rose for her new gloves, and Rose insisted that the hairpin she'd gotten in return was much more beautiful. Alix was asking everyone who had gotten her light up wheels for her skates, while Ivan and Mylene snickered at her desperation but obvious joy. Said couple were already wearing their own gifts that they had given each other the day before on a coffee date, a candy cane themed bandanna for Mylene and a t-shirt for Ivan brandishing the logo of his favorite band.

They were all happy, bubbly, talking and laughing with joy.. While he sat quietly in the back row, hiding himself behind his sketchbook. He was fine, he convinced himself that he was fine. His friends were all happy, so he should be happy too.. Right?

Were they really his friends, if they forgot about him?

It was a depressing thought, though he'd been having thoughts like these for awhile. Of course a lot of people in their class had gotten akumatized, but he personally thought his was one of the worst. He'd kidnapped Marinette, of all people. The most liked person in their class. Sweet, kind, warm, thoughtful, lovely Marinette. No wonder why they hated him, he'd targeted the person they all loved. She was quite the opposite of him, it seemed. He would've laughed, if it were at all funny. Maybe it was okay that they didn't like him, he was sure he wouldn't be much of a good friend anyway. He returned to sketching. It would've been better, after all, if he had been the victim of the god of destructions powers.

She absentmindedly tugged on the tip of a pigtail, bluebell eyes glittering with happiness as she studied the scene before her. Everyone seemed to be having fun, with smiles and laughter. She was sitting atop her desk, a few gifts at her side that had yet to be given out. She couldn't help but to wait, she didn't want to interrupt everyone else. One gift was for Adrien, of course, she hadn't been able to work up the courage to give it to him yet. Matching mittens for his scarf she'd made him for his birthday the year before. A faint blush coated her cheeks when her gaze passed by him, and had to quickly avert her eyes before they met his emerald hues. Ah she couldn't do it, maybe she'd have Alya do it for her, or maybe she'd slip it in his mailbox like last time. Her thoughts faded as she frowned, however, quickly noticing that a certain red head wasn't among the group. Her head quickly turned, eyes darting up the back row where the male was hiding behind.. His sketchbook? Her brow furrowed. What was he doing up there?

Her fingertips wandered, brushing the edge of a certain wrapped gift that lay by her side, grasping it as she slipped off from her perch on her desk. Her steps weren't that quiet as she passed her classmates and went up the stairs that led to the back of the class, but it didn't seem like the boy noticed as she approached him.

"Hey, Nath," She spoke, voice soft and warm like golden honey dripping down the bark of a tree. He quickly lifted his head, turquoise eyes shining with unshed tears. He held the sketchbook closer, not wanting the girl to see.

"O-Oh, Marinette.." He murmured in response, quickly swiping his eyes with his sleeve. She smiled, that lovely smile that made his heart beat just a little faster in his chest.

" Happy Christmas!" She exclaimed, holding out the wrapped gift for him. His hands slackened in surprise, dropping the sketchbook he'd been holding in front of him so it fell flat on the desk.

"For me?" At her nod, he carefully grasped the beautifully wrapped present, opening it along the taped seams as not to rip the scarlet paper. Inside was a brand new sketchbook, a personally designed cover with a tiny little anime Nathaniel holding a pencil on the front, probably drawn and pasted on by Marinette herself. Along with that, a pack of colored pencils of the new brand he kept wanting to try. A soft smile came to his face, as he looked up at the girl standing before him looking expectantly and wondering if he liked it. His smile broke out into a grin, as he managed to finally say. Maybe he wasn't forgotten, maybe he wasn't so unimportant. Maybe if Marinette had managed to forgive him, he wasn't so bad after all.

"Happy Christmas Marinette!"


	2. Valentine's

Sabine's fingertips grazed the soft edge of the flower's pink petal, a faint smile dancing on her lips as silvery eyes twinkled with affection. Today marked the day of her twentieth anniversary of her wedding, a day that she'd celebrate with a silly baker that she'd met all those years ago. She remembered it like it was yesterday, no, she remembered it like it had happened only a moment before.

* * *

It was one of those rare mornings, where the sun rose in such a way that dawn painted the sky a bright rosy hue rather than the usual greying light. The air was cool and brisk, but not quite cold. Despite this, the young girl wrapped her simple coat around herself a little tighter, with a huff of annoyance at the weather. She was a kind soul, but nobody liked being chilly. Her destination was coming up ahead, and she lifted her gaze to greet it. Silvery eyes flickered over the sign on the door, and a soft sigh escaped her lips in relief. They were open, good, she didn't particularly want to walk all the way back without anything to show for her journey. Her small hand rested upon the metal knob, and with a twist of her wrist she pushed the door open, a bell jingling gently at her arrival. The boulangerie was empty, or at least, there was no one at the counter. The air was warm, though, and the delicious scent of freshly baked bread wafted through from the kitchens in the back. Her brow furrowed slightly in confusion as no one came to the front, even after a few minutes since her arrival. She strode forward a couple hesitant steps, glancing around with her puzzled gaze.

"Hello…? Is anyone there..?" Her accent still woven in her voice, she questioned no one. She wondered if they just left the door open by accident, but when she went back to check the sign again, she found that they were indeed supposed to be open after seven am. She swiveled on her heels, and then walked over behind the counter, instead stepping into the kitchen to see if everyone was alright, or at the very least, if there was anyone there at all. She glanced to the right, no one was in sight. When she glanced to the left, though, she only had a moment to process a figure holding a sack of flour that was rushing towards her. She didn't have any time to call out a warning, and he crashed into her, both of them falling back on the ground due to the unexpected shock. The flour burst up into the air, a makeshift snowstorm in the warm, amber light of the bakery.

"O-Oh! I'm sorry!" A voice exclaimed, belonging to a male that couldn't be much older than herself. She blinked a few times, to clear any spots from her vision, before she finally looked over at the person she'd crashed into. His hair was ruffled, and startlingly bright green eyes were staring at her wide-eyed with panic and worry. She thought his hair might've been brown, but with the flour that coated it, she wasn't quite sure. Just the look on his face, combined with the main baking ingredient that covered them both… Well, she couldn't form words. So instead, she burst into laughter. He seemed to be bewildered for a moment, but she was sure that she looked quite ridiculous as well, and he matched her silver bells laugh with his own bellowing, fiery, it sounded more like cackling than laughing. Either way, it was contagious, and after they'd worn themselves out, just a glance in the others direction would cause them to fall into giggles once again. Her eyes were watering with tears, and he was gasping for breath, but a few more minutes passed, and they managed to get ahold of themselves.

"Tom Dupain." He introduced himself, as nonchalantly as if they were meeting at the counter out front instead of on the floor in the kitchens sitting in a pile of flour. He held out his hand to shake, and with a faint roll of her eyes, she clasped his hand with hers.

"Sabine Cheng." She replied, a hint of amusement flickering in her voice. He stood up, brushing the light powder off the front of his apron. She tried to stand up after him, but she slipped on the substance combined with the tiling of the kitchen, and was saved only by his hand reaching out swiftly to grab hers. He pulled her back up easily, and a mischievous grin came to the young boy's face.

"Already falling for me, Miss Cheng?" She stifled a laugh, finding it difficult considering their current predicament.

"Catching me was the yeast you could do, Mr. Dupain." She shot back, and surprise flashed in his eyes, before they filled with pure joy.

"You kneadn't be so harsh." He hummed, grin settling back into a happy smile.

"Oh no, I've just encouraged you, haven't I?" She groaned in mock pain, and the boy laughed again, running his fingers through his brown locks, seeming surprised by the flour floating down from his touch, as if he'd forgotten it was there. Shock lit up his verdant gaze, and he became nervous quickly.

"I forgot for a second that we were covered in flour." He spoke sheepishly, earning a giggle from the girl. "Come on, I'll show you where the sink is." He walked off with his head hung low like a rejected puppy. She smiled slightly, grey eyes gleaming as she studied the male. Then, she followed after him, her feet leaving lightly colored imprints of flour in her trail.

* * *

A similar smile to that one now lingered on her lips, and she tucked the simple yet pretty blossom into midnight blue locks, just over her right here. It complimented them nicely, she thought.

"Sabine, sweetheart, are you ready to go?" His voice called to her from the front of the bakery, much deeper than it had been back then.

"Just a moment!" She told him, fixing the last few stray hairs before she walked to meet him, smiling when she saw the amused look on his face. She reached up, brushing a smudge of flour from his cheek. "Shall we?"

"One second," He went back upstairs, leaving Sabine with a faint frown. If they didn't leave now, they'd be late. What could he possibly be getting? He came down moments later, with one of her jackets in hand. She sighed, and he grinned. "Just in case you get chilly." Her smile was back. She took it from him, folding it carefully over an arm.

"You know me too well."

"Let's go, mon chou."


	3. Flowers

His movements were decisive yet slow, as the paintbrush carefully stroked another vibrant line of green upon the canvas. The art room at school was empty, silent, but he didn't mind much. This just meant it was quiet enough to concentrate, without anyone else there to make him feel self conscious about his work. He tapered off the line, lifting his brush from the surface, and leaned back slightly to inspect the painting he'd been working on for days.

He was certainly glad that his brush was far away from the scene before him, because when the art room door suddenly swung open it caused the poor male to jump in surprise.

"Sorry, sorry!" A familiar voice exclaimed, rushing over to meet the startled artist, bluebell eyes shining with concern. "I didn't make you mess anything up, did I?" The redhead sighed in soft relief, when he realized exactly who had burst in here with absolutely no warning and more noise than opening a door should make.

"It's alright… Did you trip when pushing open the door?" The girl with pigtails smiled sheepishly, eyes glittering with embarrassment, before she shoved him lightly, earning a grin from the boy as well.

"Oh hush Nath! You're being so mean, even after I came to get you!" Confusion suddenly glimmered in cerulean eyes, and he tilted his head ever so slightly to the side in questioning.

"Get me? What for?" Marinette rolled her eyes with a soft huff, as if he didn't know.

"You've been cooped up in here for days Nathaniel, days! Spring's started, and you aren't even around to enjoy it." The male slid his eyes to the right, unable to meet her gaze for the moment.

"What does it matter?" He spoke softly, fingers tightening around the hilt of his paintbrush. "There will be lots of warm days, no one's missed me yet."

That was clearly the wrong thing to say, because if Marinette was miffed before, now she was flat out annoyed.

"That's because you've been here!" She told him, her voice taking on a scolding tone. At this quick change, Nathaniel couldn't help but steal a glance at her face. Boy, were those blue eyes on fire. Though, it didn't really seem like it was from anger. A different emotion flickered in that gaze, and a slight frown graced his lips. He couldn't recognize it, it wasn't something he expected to be there.

"Please stop thinking that you don't matter to anyone, Nath." Her voice was quieter now, and as his cerulean eyes slowly widened, he quickly realized what he was seeing in her.

She was upset.

Not because he hadn't been joining them, not because of how he teased her just a little while earlier. She was upset because she was concerned about him. It took him a moment to respond, and just as he hesitated in the silence, Marinette didn't seem too keen to break it either. His heart thudded briefly, quickly in his chest. He remembered why he had a crush on her, on Marinette. He bit his lip, whether to avoid speaking, or to avoid shedding any tears, he didn't know. She was too bright, too warm for her own good. He didn't deserve her friendship, he knew that. She was brilliant enough to never even get akumatized, despite Chloe putting her down every single day, despite her awful luck that seemed to follow her around no matter how big of a grin she put on.

"Where's everybody else?" He finally asked. Even if he didn't deserve her, they were still friends, weren't they? What kind of friend would he be if he continued to make her upset like this?

She visibly brightened, and he let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. A small hand grabbed his own, and he barely had time to drop his paintbrush in the cup of water before he was tugged away from his painting, out of the art room.

As they exited the school, he rose a hand to block the bright light from the sun from reaching his eyes, squinting even though his gaze was more or less shaded. At the sound of their footsteps, Juleka glanced up, her bright eyes widening when she saw the two of them.

"Oh Marinette, you found him!" Rose turned her head at the exclamation, the small blonde now with a wide smile on her face.

"Nathaniel! I'm so glad you could join us!"

Kim smirked, crossing his arms as Max straightened his glasses next to him.

"In the art room I bet?"

"Our calculations were correct."

"Alix, you own me 5 euros." The feisty pink haired daredevil scoffed, reluctantly reaching in her pocket to find the cash.

"Dang Nath, I was so sure you'd've gone home already."

"Nette, did you drag him out here?" Nino looked amused, and the ebony haired girl only stuck her tongue out at him. Alya laughed, hooking an arm around Nino's shoulders.

"The more the merrier, eh?"

Nathaniel could only stare for a moment, before a shy smile came to his face, and the male hid slightly behind long cherry colored bangs. Marinette offered the nervous teenager a sympathetic grin, before reaching over to brush his bangs back and tuck them behind his ear, missing the dusting of pink over his cheeks.

"They want to see you, don't worry." She told him in hardly more than a whisper, and with wide cerulean eyes and a slight nod, she gave him a marvelous smile. "Now let's go, I bet all the flower buds in the park yesterday bloomed already!" Rose gasped at her words, quickly hurrying over to walk beside the class representative.

"Did they really? I'm so excited to see the daffodils! What a bright yellow, don't you think?" The girls chattered on, actually, it seemed like everybody was talking, smiling, laughing. Nathaniel tucked his hands into his pockets, pausing a moment in his step. Noticing his lag, Nino glanced back over the orange headphones circling his neck.

"You coming?" The redhead paused, but then nodded, quickly striding forward to catch up.

"I'm coming!"

* * *

The painting in the art room lay forgotten for now, which was well enough, as the new acrylic additions had to dry anyway. Had Marinette stayed a moment longer, she was sure to have appreciated the bright colors of spring flowers it depicted. Startling yellows, deep blooming reds, a pink as pale as cherry blossoms here and there, all surrounded by vivid greens and blues. She might've even spotted the small ladybug, hidden on a blade of grass in the corner. If she did, she would've laughed with delight.

She'll see it eventually.


	4. Copycat

He twisted the lollipop around in his mouth. The cherry flavor seemed to be permanently part of his being, he'd never gotten over his addiction for them, despite all the years that went by. He twirled the pencil around in his fingers, touching on the sketch he'd already made. Ladybug and Chat Noir had been protecting their lovely city of Paris for five years now, it was about time for another statue. He'd gotten over his infatuation with Ladybug long ago. In fact…

He smiled at the woman that sat a little ways away from him, even though she couldn't see the grin dancing on his face. He'd met her a couple years ago, and he couldn't be happier with the fact that he'd been so lucky to find such a woman. Her long locks tumbled down her back, eyes sparking with amusement. She was perfect, really. She and him clicked like no one had before, he didn't know what he'd do now without her.

Which is why he sometimes still got a little jealous.

They were out together at a cafe, with one of their friends. Well, he was more her friend than he was Theo's. They'd known each other since they were kids, so they were understandably close. His hand was on her shoulder as they laughed together at a joke one of them told, more hysterically than anything Theo said could ever do. His grip unconsciously tightened on his pencil as he watched, a smile still plastered upon his face so no one would know anything was wrong if they didn't look too closely. And they weren't looking at him at all.

He tried to calm down. They were friends, nothing more. He knew that. He'd always known that. But it didn't seem to matter at the moment, jealousy reared its ugly head.

Theo heard a voice he never thought he'd hear again whisper in his mind.

'Copycat.'

His blood ran cold. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the writing utensil even tighter, just now noticing that it had turned a sickly purple black. They were still laughing. How did they not notice?

'You want her all to yourself, but she may love another man. I can help you there, we're both stronger than before, you can make her love you.'

He grit his teeth in an attempt to stay silent, eyes squeezing shut as if that would make the voice go away. It was difficult, much more difficult than last time to resist. Le Papillon had indeed gotten much stronger. Along with the sickly feeling, he could feel pain lacing his body. What the hell was happening? He parted his lips, but no words would come out. He couldn't warn anyone, he couldn't saying anything. The only words he could speak were already on the tip of his tongue, but he refused to say them, never again.

'All I need in return are the Miraculous.'

He couldn't keep it back, he was going to say it again. He wondered if it was possible for anyone to say no to him, to Le Papillon. Suddenly, something interrupted his thoughts, something interrupted the voice in his head. A hand rested upon his free one, and his eyes opened to meet soft green ones looking at him in concern.

"Theo? Mon amour? Are you alright?" Her voice wasn't that loud, but it pierced right through him, shattering any jealousy or resentment he had in a single moment. He could hear it in her voice. The love, the appreciation, the gratitude that they were together. The pride that she could call him her and he vice versa. The hope that maybe they'd have a future together past this stage in the relationship. In a single instant, he heard every 'I love you' that she ever said to him, and he knew that she wouldn't leave him for her friend.

Le Papillon was still speaking, but Theo could no longer hear him. Instead, the sculptor gave his girlfriend a warm smile, his own brown eyes flickering with adoration as he gazed at the woman in front of him with boundless affection. He lifted her fingers in his own, pressing his lips gently upon the knuckles. In his other hand, he snapped his pencil in two.

"I am now."

Nobody even noticed the black butterfly, pulsing with violet veins, phasing through the wall of the cafe.

Chat Noir spotted it during a quick patrol, and he studied it with confusion. Following after it, he found that it was merely wandering around, like it didn't know what it was or where it was supposed to go. He called Ladybug on his baton, and his favorite heroine soon appeared beside him. Her eyes were puzzled, but eventually, she shrugged.

"Who knows?" She hummed, catching it with her bright red yo-yo. It was released quickly, in a shimmer of soft white.

"Au revoir, petit papillon."


	5. Friendship

When people looked at their group of four friends, they would see that Alya and Marinette were close. They'd see Nino and Adrien sharing a grin and a fist bump, as they laughed over a joke one of them had said. They'd see the designer mooning over their resident blonde model when he wasn't looking, or the blogger placed her hand over that of the DJ's underneath the secrecy of the table they sat at.

They wouldn't know that, even though Marinette loved Adrien, and was best friends with Alya, she'd known Nino the longest. The other two were new, but he'd been her close friend since preschool.

And he was also the only one that knew her secret.

* * *

It was a quiet day, at least for the DJ, as he relaxed in his room. Brightly colored headphones were clamped over over his ears, the other end plugged into his computer. The new mix played on the screen, the bar sliding down the score as it played. He frowned, pausing it briefly in order to edit it, switching the song so it played a little later instead. Listening to it again, he grinned.

Until something launched through his open window and crashed on the other side of the room.

He immediately stood up, headphones wrenched from his ears by the cord, as his chair fell back with the sudden movement. Bewildered eyes widened in surprise and fear as it took him a moment to recognize the figure, the red suit, the pigtails.. The yo-yo.

"Ladybug?!" He exclaimed, shock buzzing in his features. He couldn't move for a moment, as the scattered papers settled, but after a moment he realized something was wrong, because Ladybug hadn't gotten up yet. He rushed forward, quickly falling to his knees and placing a hand on the girls back, to help lift her up as she coughed. There were tears in her eyes, he noticed, and her free hand was pressed tightly against her side. After a second, he almost jerked back, startled. The red wasn't just her suit.

"Oh god, oh jeez.." He was panicking at this point, blood roaring in his ears. He grabbed a stray blue shirt on the ground, waiting until she reluctantly moved her hands in order to press it over the wound. She wasn't saying anything, why wasn't she saying anything? She was still awake. What had happened? How had he not noticed there was an akuma?

.., His phone was off, wasn't it? He knew he'd be working on music stuff all day, so he hadn't wanted any distractions.

"Nino.." His name slipped from her lips, and his head whipped around to face her once again. "I'm about to transform back…" He hadn't even noticed the beeping. Her earrings were on her last spot. Her voice was trembling. She was terrified. He didn't know what to do at all.

"I-I can get a blanket? You can hide.. How about…" She tried to move, but gasped with pain, and instead fell back in his arms. He almost swore in frustration.

"It's o-okay." Her voice stopped him as he was about to move, muscles tensed.

"But you're hurt! I-I have to get you to the hospital!" She shook her head quickly, almost wincing with the motion.

"No hospitals."

"But-!" She cut him off, bluebell eyes furious.

"No." He frowned, lips parted for another protest, but instead relented. "I trust you." His eyes widened as a bright pink light lit up the room, and he had to look away in order to not be blinded. He felt the suit disappear underneath his fingers, and he slowly turned his head back, heart thudding in his chest.

When he saw that it was Marinette Dupain-Cheng underneath the mask of Paris' superheroine, he didn't gasp out in surprise. He didn't exclaim his disbelief, because in all honesty, he didn't see how it could've been anybody else. All that matter now, was that one of his closest friends was hurt, and he needed to help. After making sure she was alright, he darted from the room to find some kind of first aid kit, unaware of the small red god that was speaking gentle words in her Chosens ear.

* * *

He asked her later, after he made sure that she was alright, why she had come to him in her time of need instead of anyone else. Her answer had been simple, even if she hesitated a moment before answering him, looking down at her hands the shy way she did, that she did a lot more often before Alya and Adrien came to their school two years ago. A lot more often before she became Ladybug, he realized.

"Why me?" He asked suddenly, and she looked up quickly from where she was lying down, tucked under the covers of her bed. "You could've gone to Alya, to your parents, I'm sure you could've gone to Chat Noir." She smiled sheepishly, twiddling her thumbs together.

"I don't even know who Chat Noir is." That surprised him.

"But I thought-"

"Everyone thinks that." She shook her head slightly, and then sighed. "I don't know Chat Noir. I'm terrified my parents would force me to stop being Ladybug, they'd be driven crazy with worry, I'm sure." She went quiet after that, hesitating.

"And Alya?" He prompted, a frown lingering on his face. She laughed bitterly at that.

"She's been trying to hunt me down for two years to expose my identity. I don't know what she'd do." He had to give her that one. His girlfriend certainly was obsessed with figuring out who Ladybug was, even though he constantly asked her to stop going to film the battles. A pang of worry struck his heart. He was always terrified for her. Now he'd be just as worried for Nette.

"So…?"

"Nino, I've known you for years. You understand why I can't stop being Ladybug." He did know. This is why he wasn't incredibly surprised to find out it was here. No matter how quiet she'd always been, how nervous she could be, how much self-doubt she used to have, there was a brave heart in there. She persevered, that's what made a true hero.

"I do."

"There wasn't anyone else I trusted enough to go to." The girl spoke quietly, looking down. The being he'd come to know as Tikki peered up from Marinette's shoulder.

"I told her to find someone she could trust with her identity." She squeaked, with a cute smile to accompany her words. He smiled in return. He couldn't help it, it was contagious.

"I'm just glad you're okay, Nette."

* * *

This was a month or so later from that moment, and the four friends were sitting around that table. A beeping sound went off on all their phones, and the Ladyblog's akuma alert showed up on the screens. Alya stood up quickly, and was gone in second with her phone clenched tightly in her hand. Adrien made some flimsy excuse of having to go home, his father ordered that he returned to stay safe during any akuma attacks. Nino's eyes glanced up to meet Marinette's blue ones, and he grinned though his gaze showed his worry.

"Stay safe, LB."


	6. Dares

Dares.

Their entire class was familiar with them.

They often varied from rather mild, to, well, quite embarrassing or dangerous. And their favorite class jock was obsessed with making them. Everyone knew that when he got that little gleam in his eye, it was time to get the hell out of there before he trapped you in one of the challenges that were famous for getting people to do the most outrageous things.

Rose was forced into making obscene phone calls to random numbers other people shouted out.

Nino had gulped as Alya held up the razor meant to shave his legs, while Alix snickered with Kim in the corner.

He even dared Marinette, when their group of friends was out one day, to go up to a random kid their age and ask for his number. Adrien felt sorry for her, until she drew herself up with strikingly familiar determined azure eyes, and he suddenly felt sorry for Kim instead.

Their class begged for him to stop, they couldn't handle it anymore. So Kim made a deal with Alix, that if she beat him in a race, there would be an end to all dares.

Then she had been akumatized, and Kim hadn't made a dare since.

Until now.

\- 6 years later -

"There's a 86.77% chance it won't work." The young man hummed, adjusting his glasses with one hand while his other was tapping away at the keys of his computer. His broad-shouldered friend next to him suddenly scowled, running his fingers through his usually gelled up locks in exasperation.

"Why? I don't even understand the math you're using." Max sighed beside him, shaking his head.

"Too much to explain, you'll have to just take my word for it." Kim rolled his eyes, leaning back in his seat. It took a moment, but his frown twisted into a sly grin, eyes flickering with flames of mischief. Max glanced over to see this, and he groaned. "You can't be thinking of…"

"Oh yeah, I am."

"You swore you wouldn't."

"It's probably the only way."

"However-"

"Will it help my chances?" Max hesitated, and Kim knew that he had won. "Then it's settled."

Max frowned slightly, but then turned back towards his computer, changing a few variable and typing in a couple of necessary numbers into his algorithm. He finally pressed the enter key, and watched as numbers shimmered into existence before his eyes. "Well?" Kim asked, peering over his shoulder. Max sighed.

"43.49% chance that it won't work." Kim remained silent for a moment, before a wicked grin spread across his face. He slammed his hand on the desk, standing up as he did so.

"I'll take it."

* * *

Marinette rose an eyebrow, though she wasn't looking at the young man that was next to her. Instead, her eyes were focused on the cupcakes that lined the counter before her, a pastry bag filled with luscious buttercream frosting held expertly in her tensed hands. She paused in her task, glancing up at the tall jock that was speaking to her.

"I thought you were done with dares." She spoke skeptically, blue eyes glittering with curiosity despite her slight annoyance.

"Just this last one, I need your help with it." Marinette huffed, turning her attention back to the sweet confections.

"It's been years," She hummed, frosting a perfect swirl atop the chocolate cake.

"C'mon, I'll even tell you what it is." This caught her attention. She hesitated before moving onto the next cake, instead turning her eyes towards him.

"... What is it?"

And then Kim told her his plan, and her bluebell eyes absolutely lit up with excitement, a soft smile dancing on her rose petal lips. She then sighed. "You have me convinced." She mused, before casting her gaze up the stairs.

"Adrien! Can you grab my keys from upstairs?" The blonde in question soon came down moments later, a ring of jingling silver keys swirling around his finger. He tossed them over, and Kim caught them out of the air.

"What's going on?" The man spoke, emerald eyes gleaming with the same inquisitive nature a feline's would. He strode over, arm curling around Marinette's waist as he rested his chin on the top of her head, staring over it at Kim. Marinette smiled, reaching up to dab a blob of frosting on his nose.

"I'll tell you later, minou, I'm just letting Kim use the roof of our flat." Adrien hummed in agreement, though his curiosity still shimmered around him.

"Have fun then." Kim nodded, tucking the keys into his pocket.

"Thanks Marinette, Adrien, I'll tell you how it goes."

* * *

"I don't know… I don't want to be involved in another dare." Alya grumbled from where she sat in the chair, Juleka armed with a comb and silver scissors behind her. The bronze eyed girl glanced at him, brushing long ebony locks behind her ear.

"Did you really have to come during her appointment?" Kim shrugged.

"Marinette told me where you were," He replied, and Alya sighed.

"Mari did? Fine. What do you want? Make it quick." And then Kim laid out his entire plan, including the dare, and Alya fell into silence. She didn't turn her head, as Juleka continued to snip at the bottom of her amber ombre hair, but then smiled slightly.

"Alright, I'll do it. If you text Nino, he'll take care of that too if you tell him I'm in." Kim grinned, pulling out his phone to message Nino as she told him to.

"Thanks Al, 8 o' clock sharp, 'kay?" She waved him off.

"Yeah yeah, I've got it, you just head to Mari's, Casanova." He smirked, and then rose a hand in farewell.

* * *

Marinette and Adrien lived on the top floor, so it was no surprise that the roof was theirs as well. It was mostly for Marinette, she had the greenest thumb that anyone knew, and it was filled with sprawling plants that exuded the scent and life of spring, even on this otherwise boring rooftop.

He, with the help of Nino, strung up what seemed like a million fairy lights, which blinked and glowed in a similar fashion to fireflies. As the day grew to night, they illuminated the rooftop. Courtesy of Nino's speakers, soft music played, weaving through the leaves and petals of the plants that littered the rooftop. He smiled, lighting a few candles that glowed on the surface of the small table they had set up, complete with a wine red tablecloth and a bottle of a similar drink to match.

"You all set, dude?" A hand rested on his shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm all set. Let Alya know it's go time."

When Alix arrived on the roof, she was a bit confused. Alya had said something about having drink with her and Marinette, but the other two girls were nowhere to be seen.

"Hello-ohhhhhh," She called out, annoyance glinting in her gaze along with a hint of curiosity. "I swear if this is some kind of joke-"

"Nah, no joke." The voice sounded from behind her, and Alix whirled around. Kim clicked a button, and the entire roof lit up with those firefly lights, glowing amongst flowers and brick alike. Her eyes landed on the man before her, and an amused grin came to the petite athlete's face.

"Now what's all this for?" She mused, hands on her hips. Her eyes glowed as she turned, taking in the scene.

"What did you have to say to get Marinette and Adrien to give you the roof?"

"Same thing I said to Alya and Nino to get them to help me set up." His voice brought her back from the reverie the fantastical scene had placed her in. She turned back around, and her eyes widened, breath catching in her throat.

She never thought she'd see the day where Kim had to look up at her, and not the other way around.

She rose a hand to her lips, just as he opened the velvet box he held in his hands.

"Alix Kubdel, I dare you to marry me."


	7. Liar Liar

She didn't talk much after the Volpina incident.

For a few days straight, she barely said a word in class, hardly looked up from her desk, but to answer her teachers when they asked questions.

She was fuming and no one knew why, but they never really cared enough to find out. Her classmates were content to leave her to simmer on her own. Well, all except one.

* * *

The bell shrilly rang through the halls of the school, and kids began to pour out of their classrooms, the hush of the building giving away to the loud chatter of people discussing weekend plans. The young Italian girl gathered her notebooks and tablet together, slipping them neatly into the bag that lay nestled at her feet. She had just started to look up when she felt a light tap on her shoulder, presumably from another student or teacher. She glanced up with startled olive eyes, though the rest of her face was cloaked with a mask of calm, only to see Marinette Dupain-Cheng standing over her. A sheepish smile lingered on the girl's face, but before she could speak a word, Lila quickly cut her off with a sneer of her own.

"What do _you_ want?" She huffed, and felt only a slight pang of remorse as Marinette's cheery demeanor fell.

"I ah.. I was wondering if you'd like to come over today." Ah, she surprised Lila Rossi once again. Her eyes flashed with shock, but then quickly narrowed in suspicion. No one had ever talked to her since she was proven to be a liar a few days ago, she immediately suspected that this girl wanted something from her. Being the daughter of diplomats, Miss Rossi was not unused to people acting nice to get what they want. Hey, she'd even done the same. That was the kind of world they lived in, and Lila would never forget it.

"Why?" She questioned her, soon standing up to look down at the slightly smaller girl. She knew she could be intimidating. She'd been intimidating as Volpina, and she could be intimidating again. It was in her, somewhere. So she glared down at the girl, and only felt somewhat surprised at this point when she realized that this girl would not easily back down. Marinette still stood tall, despite her shorter stature, and stuck out her chin defiantly with burning azure eyes that seemed to blaze right through her.

"I don't know you." The designer replied, only to have Lila look at her skeptically, waiting for an explanation for the odd statement. Marinette seemed to soften once again, her pout melting into that warm smile once more. Lila was almost taken aback by such a simple genuine gesture. It was never difficult to tell what Marinette was thinking, she figured, she wore her expressions too openly.

"But, I would like to."

Lila didn't speak for a moment, olive green eyes seeming to search and analyze every inch of that blue, looking for some evidence of a lie in her features.

Lila noticed then, that Marinette was not like Lila Rossi. She did not lie.

She was shockingly honest with her feelings.

"Alright." Lila said simply, reaching down to pick up her bag, slinging it over her shoulder. The other girl positively lit up with the quick affirmation, a grin splitting her features.

"Great! Let's go, I live right across the street!" She hooked her arm around Lila's, tugging the surprised girl along without a care in the world. She didn't mind the looks she got from other classmates along the way, even Alya and Nino, who Lila had learned to be some of her closest friends. She did not understand how someone could be so carefree. Lila knew that not many people, well, nobody really liked her. But she'd been standing tall, keeping up appearances. Marinette must know that being seen with someone like her, it could ruin the girl's reputation?

But as she was pulled along, Marinette's chatter buzzing in her ears, she slowly came to a realization.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng didn't care about appearances, did she?

A ghost of a smile danced on the Italian girl's lips, and Marinette clearly noticed, because she responded with a startling grin of her own.

"Do you like macarons?" The girl asked her excitedly, and Lila managed a small shy nod. This was clearly the right thing to do, because her chatter grew brighter as she pushed open the door to the small corner bakery. It wasn't too busy inside, but Lila was immediately enraptured by the soft sweet scent of pastries and bread, something which she noticed Marinette carried around with her wherever she went.

Her parents were rather similar to Marinette, in the fact that they were just as loud and friendly. Lila assumed that's where their daughter got it from.

They loaded down the two girls with a plethora of goodies. Cookies, macarons, croissants, anything you could possibly think of. Lila wasn't even sure if she knew all the names of the pastries her parents had passed off to them.

Hanging out with Marinette was just as she expected it to be. The girl was rather bubbly, she never stopped talking. And she asked questions to, hell, Lila almost felt like she was being interrogated. At least it came with snacks. Biting into a pistachio macaron, she looked up from her homework just as the girl asked another question.

"Are you okay?" Lila seemed confused by this. Why wouldn't she be okay? She was eating, she was listening, she'd answered all of Marinette's questions…

"I…" She fully intended to tell her that yes, she was perfectly fine. But she couldn't get the words out, they refused to slip past her lips. She hesitated, and that was all Marinette needed. The girl offered her a smile, not asking anything further.

"When you're ready to talk, I'm here, okay?" Olive green eyes widened ever so slightly, her heart fluttering in her chest at the sight of those bluebell eyes shining with concern, genuine concern, something that not even her parents gave her any longer. A blush rose, unbidden, to the Italian girl's cheeks, and she forced herself to look back down at her work, a small smile still on her lips.

"Okay."


End file.
